Just Another Face in the Crowd
by ASianSuccessor2012
Summary: Just like always, the A-Troupe highly regards Miss Kate as a hardworking yet independent woman, supporting them and the studio on her own; however, when an unexpected encounter at the bus leads her to a charming, lonely stranger who takes an instant liking to her, The Next Step dancers and Phoebe devise a plan to bring the unlikely pair closer together. Takes place before Season 4.
1. The Theory of a New Beginning

**Summary: _Just like always, the A-Troupe highly regards Miss Kate as a hardworking yet independent woman, supporting them and the studio on her own; however, when an unexpected encounter at the bus leads her to a charming, lonely stranger who takes an instant liking to her, little do Phoebe and the dancers know that this could change her life for good and even for the better._**

 _ **Rating:**_ _ **K+ (subject to change)**_

 _ **Genres:**_ _ **Romance & Drama**_

 _ **Pairing:**_ _ **Kate & OC (featuring other couples in further chapters, predominantly Jiley)**_

 _ **Author's Note:**_ _ **Hello readers! As you know, this is my first time stepping into "The Next Step" universe in fanfiction. I guess you could say that I'm taking "the next step" in creating one of my stories. All puns aside, I'm extremely excited to bring this multi-chapter story to you fellow TNS fans out there. After seeing quite a bunch of Micheldon, some Chloaniel and an endless list of Jiley (THE OTP of TNS that I confidently ship), as well as enjoying myself reading some of them, I decided to take on something a little different...something I haven't seen (and maybe you also haven't seen) in this category before. We all know how The Next Step's beloved studio owner, Miss Kate, is an independent woman doing her job just fine? I thought it would be interesting to see how an unexpected appearance of a man who's just as passionate about performing arts as she is could take her to "the next step" of her life-of course-with the involvement of her A-Troupe (and other various TNS members) and her eccentric sister Phoebe to bring the pair closer together. Who knows? How will she go about her daily life with a man by her side? Well, it looks like you're about to find out! Let's just say, I**_ _ **see this story as sort of a "Rom Com" type (if it'll turn out to be just like one).**_ _ **I hope this story works out as planned, but most importantly, I hope you enjoy it. As always, please remember to leave me a review at the end of the .chapter and constructive criticism and any suggestions are welcome, but please, as usual, do not send me any flames (or they will be immediately extinguished).**_

 _ **Without further ado, here's "Just Another Face in the Crowd."**_

 ** _Enjoy,_**

 ** _~ASianSuccessor2012_**

 ** _P.S. I own none of the characters from TNS; they are all born from the creativity of Frank Van Keeken and Temple Street Productions. I only own the OCs, especially the one you'll get to know the most. Also, this takes place a little bit after Season 3 or even Season 3.5 a little over Internationals (which hasn't aired in Canada or at the moment in that matter as I speak, so frankly I won't know what's going on until sometime in September, so I might as well leave out the parts where they win or lose. I'd rather not put even my best bet on that.), so please bear with my assumptions. Once the episodes depicting Internationals air in the future, I'll be sure to alter these uncertain parts of the story as soon as possible. If you're reading this later than I posted (like in September or beyond), if I haven't watched any episode involving these events, please let me know as soon as possible. Thank you so much!_**

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 **Chapter 1: The Theory of a New Beginning**

During after hours at The Next Step Studio, sitting upon the comfortable leather chair in her office chair after gathering and organizing a few files and folders on her desk, Kate leaned against the chair's leather board in a relaxed manner with a ponderous yet satisfied disposition about her as she stared through the office's slightly glass-stained windows across Studio A, the thoughts and memories rushing through her mind how fast time flew throughout the recent dance season, the ups, the downs, the experiences and even the most surreal of realities she could ever imagine…bringing the A-Troupe to Nationals. It wasn't that she never thought that in a million years it would be possible; it was simply because she couldn't fully grasp the reality that it would happen so soon. After all, she knew that of all her years owning the studio, every A-Troupe she has witnessed, watched, guided and mentored throughout only made it as far as Nationals. But for this generation of dancers to take everything to the next level-dare she think-the next step, Internationals was without a doubt, one of those surreal realities she and the team experienced for once in this lifetime. Either way, as she serenely pondered the reel and timeline of events crossing her mind, she was far beyond grateful for every opportunity that came across the studio's path and if it were up to her, no matter what happened, even if it meant enduring the schemes of a rivaling studio owner, numerous betrayals of her previous dancers which hit close to home to everyone and having to deal with in-troupe, in-studio drama, she still wouldn't have had anything any other way. With whatever challenge The Next Step would come across, she knew very well that the rest of the team would be prepared for anything, even if it meant last minute. As dampening and disheartening as some situations seemed, she tried her absolute best, no matter how difficult it was, to try and be as genuinely optimistic as possible without forcing a façade, in the end, she felt that as a team, The Next Step always seemed to pull through and succeed. That was how she felt about this generation of the A-Troupe. Although she herself was an independent woman running the studio on her own regulations, taking after her mother who founded it, she knew that they never would have made it this far without the love and support, not only from her sister and the new head choreographer, Phoebe, but The Next Step as a whole. In other words, she couldn't have been more proud; she couldn't have been more grateful; she couldn't be happier than she felt at this very moment.

As she finished gathering her last tidbits of thought together, Kate made one final scan across Studio A, making sure that everyone in A-Troupe headed home straightaway, and briskly stood up from her leather chair, glancing at the time on her watch that read 8:45 P.M.

"I suppose that's another late night for me," she thought to herself, looking away from her watch.

She then gently tucked her chair into her desk and grabbed her faded-brown velvet jacket and her thin magenta scarf that hung upon the rarely used coat-hanger, knowing that by the time September hit, Fall was upon them and in an environment like this, she and every citizen was no stranger to the almost biting cold waiting to catch them by surprise as soon as anyone stepped out of the building. Kate knew better than to leave the studio without a source of warmth along the way, even if it meant a few seconds walking to her car. That was just how the weather behaved in this area. The cold showed no mercy in times like these.

As she exited her office, shutting the lights off, she noticed that one more dancer was still present. Michelle, in her usual light-pink dance attire, was in the middle of packing up when Kate approached her, slight confusion apparent in her expression.

"Michelle, what are you doing here so late?"

The young dancer jumped upon hearing the studio owner's voice as she turned to meet her questioning gaze.

"Oh, Miss Kate, I was just practicing my solo for the new routine in the Music Room," Michelle answered modestly yet honestly, "I hope you don't mind."

"No, not at all. That's very good, actually," Kate replied with a nod, "That's just the ideal dancer we need in this studio; someone who is willing to sacrifice some spare time to improve themselves as a dancer. I've seen you've grown so much since you first came here and I have to say, never have I been more impressed with the group we have now."

"Thank you; I really appreciate it," Michelle smiled with a slight chuckle, "And I think Giselle's been doing so well as Dance Captain; don't you think so, Miss Kate?"

"Oh, very, _very_ well, Michelle," the studio owner responded with wholehearted approval, "She just gets better and better every single day. To this day, I can't help but think that you and the team made the right decision in choosing a leader."

Michelle just smiled and gave a light and modest hint of laughter, slightly flattered by Kate's remark. Did she always have to be so proud of this particular group-let alone-this particular generation of A-Troupe? It was most definitely obvious, not only to Michelle, but to everyone else in the entire studio.

"It just seemed that making her the Dance Captain was what's best for the team," she smiled yet again.

"Believe me, Michelle, it was _perfect_ for the team," Kate reinforced upon her statement with nothing but pride, "Couldn't have done it better myself."

With that, the former Dance Captain and the studio owner shared a smile as the young member of A-Troupe continued packing her remaining items and Kate suddenly remembering that it was already past 8:45-8:50-to be exact. Before the piercing chilly weather outside could get any stronger, she knew she had to leave the studio as soon as possible.

"Now Michelle, speaking of the Music Room, have you seen Phoebe anywhere? I haven't seen her all day since we choreographed the new routine. In fact, she hasn't said a word to me all day, except while you were rehearsing," she wondered with curiosity but an obvious hint of worry in her voice.

"I have, actually," Michelle nodded alertly, " She's been meditating in the Music Room since I got there. She let me rehearse since nothing seemed to distract her at all."

"Oh, thank goodness!" the slightly older woman sighed heavily in relief, "I was just getting worried."

"I guess there's no need to worry now," the young lady chuckled as she zipped her duffel bag closed and carried it upon her shoulders.

"Now before I worry all the more, don't forget to bring a jacket with you," Kate warned the young dancer sternly yet with gentle concern, "It's awfully cold out there tonight and I don't want you catching the flu or anything."

Seeing that Michelle looked around herself and knowing, and distinctly remembering that she had not brought a jacket of any kind with her to the studio, Kate quickly glanced at one of the shelves with a blue "The Next Step" tracksuit left behind and handed it over to her.

"I knew you might need this," she said with a knowing smile, Michelle gladly accepting the jacket, "You can bring it back to whoever left it here in the morning."

"Thank you, Miss Kate," Michelle smiled as she put the blue jacket on, "I know it belongs to Amanda, but I guess she won't mind until tomorrow."

"Good," the studio owner nodded once again, "Now go home before your dad worries about you."

Yet again, she stirred just a bit of laughter within the young A-Troupe member.

"I will," she laughed lightly, "I think it's _you_ who's worried about me right now."

Kate, who was slightly embarrassed by the remark of Michelle's jest as well as the ability of the young lady being able to read her every expression, shook her head with a chuckle underneath, turning to Michelle with a sigh.

"Just go home safely, alright?" she sighed amidst her laughter.

"I will," Michelle repeated as she walked out of Studio A with a smile still on her face, "Good night."

"Good night, Michelle."

Yes, she seemed to worry too much about the young dancers, not only because she needed them to be at their best in terms of health and agility every single day they came into the studio, but because she truly and genuinely cared about their well-being as well. Perhaps that's why quite a few of them referred to her as a sort of "Mother Figure" to them, especially to Stephanie with neither of her parents supporting her career as a dancer and as a triple threat, leading her to depend on Kate as such. Also, especially since she had family with her in the studio, namely Phoebe, her sisterly intuition, most especially her authoritative side, seemed to kick in most of the time, as always, just to make sure that her sister remained on-task without having to meditate the entire time. At this moment, that was just what she was about to do: make sure her younger sister was doing all right.

Once Kate stepped into the Music Room, just as she expected, she spotted Phoebe sitting cross-legged, her arms spread out, still in her floral yoga outfit in the middle of the room, meditating. She wasn't surprised at all, however; that was just how her sister was and how she expected her to be whenever she was in plain sight. Knowing very well that Phoebe wouldn't be stopping anytime soon, she decided to give her an interruption to her sister's "inner-peace" by knocking against the Music Room's walls. To no avail, the noise still left her unshaken. Kate was left with no choice but to strike a chord on the old wooden piano, whether she liked it or not, whether she knew how to play it or not. Without a moment's hesitation, she looked straight down to Phoebe's level, allowing her right hand to freely slam the lower register of the piano's keys, suddenly awakening her from her stoic and seemingly unconscious state. Phoebe, without any agitation towards the interruption, simply looked up at her older sister nonchalantly, not surprised to see her standing before her.

"Phoebe, it's getting late; it's time to go."

"Oh, Kate; I didn't see you there," the younger of the siblings said as she stretched herself to get up off of the floor.

"Phoebe, don't you realize what time it is?" her sister asked, shaking her head.

"Well, I could sense that it's almost nine," Phoebe replied simply.

"Yes, well that means we better head off before the weather gets any worse," Kate stated matter-of-factly, her face now returning to concern and curiosity, "So, is this where you've been all day since the middle of rehearsals?"

"Yes, Kate," Phoebe answered peacefully yet with a hint of undiscovered nervousness in her tone of voice, "Is there anything wrong with that?"

"No, Phoebe, it's just that you missed the best moments of the A-Troupe's routine for the rest of the afternoon and I was hoping you would have seen it fall into place," she responded, still with the gleaming pride she had for her A-Troupe dancers.

"Well, there's no worries, Kate; at least I'll be able to catch it tomorrow."

"Good, because we need to head home right away if we don't want either of us to freeze up," she said as she pulled Phoebe's maroon felt coat from the coat-hanger by the door, "Now, tell me, where did you park the car this afternoon? I'm sure you took really good care of it while I was running late."

Now this was the conversation that Phoebe dreaded the most and perhaps most evidently, the reason why she had been avoiding her sister the whole day. The anxiety of knowing Kate's disapproval if she found out what happened to her car was slowly peeping through her eyes and was most definitely the last thing she wanted to reason with the whole day. However, whether she liked it or not, Phoebe knew she had to come clean, which was _the_ primary interruption of the inner-peace she had been establishing since the beginning of the afternoon.

"Now about that…" Phoebe mumbled with a nervous grin, avoiding any form of eye contact with her sister.

"Yes?" Kate questioned, eagerly waiting her younger sister's reply.

"Promise me you won't flip out on me for anything, otherwise it will destroy my inner-peace, alright?" she said, her words whizzing past her lips briskly.

"I promise, Phoebe. Now tell me, what happened?" she said, this time with a reasonable amount of edge in her tone.

"You see, Kate, we…uhm…we _can't_ use your car to drive to your home tonight," she stated simply, her eyes wandering to the smooth wooden ground.

"What do you mean we can't use my car to drive to my home tonight? Did you park next to a fire hydrant this time? You know that we talked about this before since the first day you started driving." Kate asked with a little more worry.

"Well, this time I had nothing to do with it, actually," Phoebe continued, mustering up the courage to be completely honest with her sister, "You see, I parked a few blocks away from the studio as if nothing would happen. And then, something happened. Just as I was about to pick up a few of the remaining costumes from the trunk, I was shocked to see a huge dent on its rear end, cracked headlights and half a flat tire. I didn't know what it was, but all I knew was that I saw another car with a dent on its front being towed away and that you wouldn't be pleased if you knew about this. Fortunately, the costumes remained unharmed. I hope you aren't upset with me."

At hearing this, Kate placed her hands upon her forehead, shaking her head disappointedly in the process and taking a deep sigh before turning her eyes to her sister. Even if she knew that handling vehicles wasn't Phoebe's _forte,_ seeing how honest as possible she was, she most certainly couldn't blame her now, especially since there was nothing she could do about it.

"Oh I'm not upset with you, Phoebe, I'm just upset," she responded plainly, "We're going to have to get my car repaired as soon as possible, which _will_ cost a lot of money, but for now, we're going to have to take another way home."

"That's the spirit, Kate," Phoebe smiled genuinely, "You always have a solution to every problem that comes along. Maybe all the meditation we've applied over the weekend had such a rewarding effect on you."

"Whether it had an effect on me or not, I _had_ to find a quick solution; there's no other choice," Kate replied in a no-nonsense manner, "Now before the rainfall begins, we're going to have to get out of here."

"Yes, of course," Phoebe nodded in agreement, putting on her maroon felt jacket as she followed Kate out of the music room.

"This time, I suppose we'll have to find an alternative route home, let's say, the bus," her older sister said authoritatively and matter-of-factly as they both walked past the hallway and down the stairwell.

As the sisters exited the building, a few droplets of rain began to fall, much to Kate's surprise and Phoebe's sudden amazement, which her sister was perplexed about. What was it about the rainy weather that seemed to surprised Phoebe so? Whenever fall stepped into the picture of their environment, it was merely a predictable element of the weather.

"You see, Kate? I knew all these meditation methods worked on you after all, didn't they?" the younger woman exclaimed as she beamed, her eyes cast skyward toward the rapidly dropping raindrops.

"How so?" questioned a still perplexed Kate.

"It hasn't rained since the beginning of last week and just as you walked out of the building, it just started coming."

Phoebe's theory still didn't seem to convince or at least explain to her sister what was going on, barely aiding her slight confusion.

"Mhmm? And what exactly has the rain have to do with your meditation methods and me?" Kate questioned, more curiously this time.

"Don't you realize what's happening? All this rain has to do with you. Just as it's the beginning of fall and the beginning of the week, I sense that this rainfall signifies change or a new beginning, I believe. And seeing that it only started pouring when you walked out of the building, I can strongly sense that this change or new beginning is meant for you, Kate. It's meant for you."

Kate turned to her younger sister, wide-eyed at her theory, which surprisingly came out as words of wisdom. How was it possible that this rainfall signified a change for her? And of all people, why would it be _her_? She knew that The Next Step endured enough change already; perhaps this change would reach her in a certain way to a personal level. Right now, she could not comprehend but only wonder. What was this _change_ or _new beginning_ her sister could supposedly sense and relate to with the rain? Once again, just like she did before heading out of the studio, another reel of thoughts appeared and crossed Kate's mind yet again as she tried to the best of her ability to search for the very source that could trigger this change, whether it had to do with The Next Step or not. She didn't know when it would occur, but as she and Phoebe walked past the sidewalks and crossed the damp streets, this was a thought and a theory that would cloud her mind for the rest of the night, at least until they reached the bus where she knew the voices of strangers and the roaring of the engines would interrupt her supposedly unstoppable train of thought.

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 ** _Author's Note:_** ** _There you have it! Chapter One of "Just Another Face in the Crowd." I sure hope you enjoyed this first chapter and I promise that I'll get the second chapter up as soon as possible. I'm honestly really excited to move forward with this story and I hope that you all enjoyed this prologue. It also felt nice having to add a sister-to-sister communication between these two; Kate and Phoebe do make a great team, now don't they? Now here's a question for you…Do you have any suggestions? Comments? Questions? Anything? Are there any characters you want to see in particular in future chapters if not the next? Please leave me a review at the end of this chapter or simply send me a PM. Keep in mind; this story doesn't have any candles or matches, so please avoid the flames! I'm only open to constructive criticism if there's anything I need to improve on. Anyways, I do promise more appearances of the A-Troupe members and the rest of the TNS dancers as soon as possible and I also can't wait to introduce you to this story's OC who will be appearing very soon by the next update. I hope you enjoyed this and see you in Chapter Two!_**

 ** _Cheers!_**

 ** _~ASianSuccessor2012_**

 ** _P.S. In case any of your were wondering, the title is based off of an original song. It also plays an important part of the story, but it's something I just thought you all should know._**


	2. An Accidental Meeting

_**Author's Note: Hello again! To whoever is reading this, it looks like I'm updating early since I feel totally inspired, today most especially. It's safe to say that staying up all night getting chapter one done felt worth it, but let's see if I can catch up just fine with my updates. Just so you all know, this story, most notably the beginning but most especially this chapter (and maybe the next) is heavily based off of a dialogue my brother and I came up with, over a week ago as I speak, about Kate and Phoebe catching a bus and meeting an absolute stranger they've never come across before who gives an unusual first impression and seems to follow them quite a bit after that. That's where my OC steps in and I feel that this chapter is what will maybe give a push and drive this story forward (mostly because they're in a bus half the time). Well, enough of these puns of mine and back to the story... I hope you enjoy chapter two! And, I also hope that this OC is someone who will grow into you chapter by chapter and I promise, the dancers will be here soon. To all those who reviewed, Blizzard20 and Holly (guest), thank you so much! You just made my day even more special. I sure hope you'll like this one.**_

 _ **Cheers!**_

 _ **~ASianSuccessor2012**_

 _ **P.S. As always I own nothing but the OCs. Don't forget to leave me a review once you're done with this chapter; it would honestly mean a whole lot to me. Suggestions and constructive criticism is welcome, as usual. No flames are permitted. Thank you.**_

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 **Chapter 2: An Accidental Meeting**

Just a few blocks to the left away from the studio, a fully-packed bus stop with over a dozen bystanders awaiting the 9:11 bus was in sight of the two sisters gradually approaching it. As quickly as they knew they could have gone, knowing they could have shared a conversation the way they usually did, with the raindrops falling rapidly above the city downtown, both Kate and Phoebe decided to stay silent and tranquil as possible, especially since there was one thing that couldn't escape Kate's mind no matter how hard she tried to brush it off. The rain…the change…the new beginning…meant for _her?_ This puzzle was definitely a challenging one to piece together, let alone comprehend. What was most incomprehensible to her was the fact that her apparently eccentric sister came up with this whole theory. Was it true? Or was it just another one of Phoebe's quirks that she had to put up with everyday? Either way, all the questions running through her mind were going linger for a long, _long_ time to come…perhaps even during the next day's rehearsals if she could handle it, even if it meant over thinking and losing her focus. If the time was right, perhaps she would ask Phoebe what all this was about. If there was anyone who knew, it was her younger sister, the creator of the very theory.

Finally reaching the bus stop, Kate found herself leaning against the pole with the list of daily transit schedules, seeing that each of the benches were occupied, turning her eyes to the rain-filled sky, still in her ponderous mood since she and her sister stepped out of the studio. Phoebe, on the other hand, despite her prolonged tranquility, found herself in a chipper and eccentrically optimistic mood, her eyes and her face lit up and aglow, scanning and looking through the faces of the bystanders and passers by, feeling the need to bask in her surroundings. She, for one, was completely unlike her older sister. Without caring or paying the least attention to the numerous people bound to stare at her due to her unusual disposition, even her sister, she then decided to sit down in the middle of the sidewalk by the bus stop in her usual cross-legged position, shutting her eyes in the process, just on the brink of meditation.

Glancing at her watch once again, reading 9:09, Kate turned her eyes to the crowded bus stop, looking for her younger sister without noticing that she happened to be right next to her, sitting in her rather "infamous" yoga position, as Kate often referred to it to herself until she suddenly glanced down, Phoebe's appearance taking her by surprise and her eyes widening, then returning straight ahead as if nothing happened to save herself the embarrassment of her sister's behavior.

"Phoebe, what are you doing in the middle of the sidewalk?" Kate whispered in between clenched teeth, her eyes still turned away from Phoebe, "We talked about this, remember?"

Phoebe simply looked up at her older sister and smiled brightly though failing to meet her eyes.

"Oh, hello Kate," the younger woman beamed without any inch of embarrassment in her expression.

"Phoebe, you do realize that everyone else in the bus stop is staring, don't you?" Kate calmly chided tensely, her eyes quickly glancing down at Phoebe and her expression in an anxious smirk. Yet again, her remark was met with a contradictory chuckle of a reaction by Phoebe, who hadn't a care in the world of what the rest of the city thought about her perception of life and her lifestyle as a whole.

"Sister, sister dear," she laughed in a mock fancy accent, shaking her head at her sister's uptightness, "Does this really have to matter right now? What matters right now is that I'm as comfortable as I want to be. Don't you know what inner-peace is when you see it, Kate?"

Then, a stunned silence filled the corner, with Kate at a loss for words. At this moment, she knew that she had finally found the opportunity to ask Phoebe what her supposed _theory of a new beginning_ meant, most especially, since she knew she was the only one who knew it. Then again, she didn't expect anything quite as sensible to stand to reason; after all, this was Phoebe she was talking about. No matter how wise her statement came out to be, in all reality, she knew how sincerely eccentric she was. If there were any good time to ask, what better time would there be than the present?

"Yes, Phoebe, of course I do," Kate replied more calmly, turning towards her sister and bending down to her level, "But this time, you're going to have to help me out."

To Phoebe, this was an absolute no-brainer. If her sister was in distress or in any sort of muddled confusion, she would be there to assist her in a heartbeat, mainly because she felt she already had an answer prepared. Maybe it was the only answer she knew.

"Yes, Kate, anytime," she chirped confidently, "Just take a seat right next to me and start meditating."

Yes, that was the very response that Kate expected out of her sister. To her, it seemed like the only possibility for a solution, but she knew very well that there was more to that. She knew better.

"Well, I don't think that's the case, Phoebe," Kate clarified with a light chuckle, "You see, I thought about what you said once we left the studio. In fact, I thought about _everything_ you said."

"Everything?"

 _"Everything,"_ she nodded, "In fact, I couldn't stop thinking about it ever since we got here."

"Mhmm…I see…" Phoebe found herself nodding as well, her eyes shifting, "Has it been troubling you?"

"Oh no, no, not at all," Kate replied defensively, hoping she did not offend her sister in any way, "As a matter of fact, I've been meaning to talk to you about it."

With that, Phoebe gave her sister a knowing smile. Deep down, she knew that Kate would somehow come through and appreciate one of her theories and perspectives one of these days, no matter how superficial they seemed in her point of view. Besides, she knew that she would have to believe her _sometime._ It so happened that that _sometime_ was now.

"Fire away, Kate," she said simply, "The floor's all yours."

Now was definitely her chance to give it her best shot for an understanding.

"So, Phoebe, I've been thinking about what you said about the weather changing all of a sudden, about the rainfall that only started at the beginning of the week," she explained in all honesty, yet with a tinge of sarcasm in her voice, knowing the eccentricity of her sister, "What I'm trying to understand is what it has to do with me. What do you think this rainfall says about a change in my life? Because I can't think of anything else to settle this, it seems to me that _you,_ Phoebe, are the only one who has all the answers."

By this time, Phoebe was beaming widely at her sister, feeling the rush of her self-esteem rising in hearing her last statement.

"Oh, you really do believe in me, don't you?" the younger of the siblings sighed cheerfully with a grin before reverting to her serious state of explanation,

"Well, if you must know, first of all, I don't _think_ that this rainfall says something about a change in your life; I _know_ it does; I _sense_ it does."

Her remark was only met with yet another expression of befuddlement from Kate. That clearly did not justify anything she just said in her theory earlier; to Kate, which merely justified her sister's state of insanity that she knew she had to put up with once more.

"Phoebe, you know that doesn't tell me anything," Kate shook her head in slight annoyance, "And just how do you know that it has to do with me? I know, everything you said was really quite nice and came from your heart but I honestly don't think you're making any sense. A rainfall is just like any other day. It's just that, the way you said it made it seem like it meant something more than just one of your superficial philosophies. That's why I asked you about this."

At this time, Phoebe just listened to her older sister ramble her explanation and her response was simply a light chuckle and yet another knowing smirk. These were some of the very words she expected to hear out of Kate' words of questioning, reasoning and doubt. In fact, she was used to it. What she was most pleased to hear was the fact that Kate believed that even if it was superficial or could be sugarcoating the fact that she has endured a tidal wave of change; especially at The Next Step it meant something to her. That was as positive as the response could get.

"Maybe it _does_ mean something, Kate," Phoebe spoke in a matter-of-factly manner, the smirk still etched on her lips, "Maybe it does."

Well, that was Phoebe as usual…treating a philosophy as if it made the most sense above all else. Dismissing that thought, Kate knew that it was just the way she was and how she perceived things, deciding to play along and continue asking her younger sister even more questions, just to keep adding onto this rather weird yet wonderful philosophy of a personal pathetic fallacy.

"Now just _how_ do you know it means something, Phoebe? I'd most definitely want to know," she responded with an equally as sarcastic smirk towards her sister, still bending down to her level.

Seeing the sarcasm written all over her sister's face, Phoebe, in turn, decided that two could play at this game. If Kate was up for a challenge, so was she. The only thing is, they were the challengers up against each other.

"Oh, you'll see," Phoebe, replied plainly and nonchalantly with a chuckle under her breath, avoiding eye contact with her sister who was clearly unsatisfied with her reply.

"So, that's it then," she spoke with a tone of slight surprise but evident disapproval, "It really didn't mean anything, did it? Maybe it was just one of your intriguing mind games you were luring me into, wasn't it?"

Noticing the apparent disappointment in her sister's expression, Phoebe simply let off her laughter, placing her hand on her shoulder. Oh, how uptight Kate had always been. She simply couldn't take any of her younger sister's slight jokes at this time of night.

"My, my, Kate," the younger woman laughed much to her sister's seriousness, "You don't have to take everything so personally."

Once Kate's expression slackened, Phoebe too straightened out and simmered down, pushing her legs to stand up.

"Seriously though, Kate, I know you might think I'm being crazy right now, which I _know_ you think I am, but I just have this feeling that something will come by and change your life. Not mine, Kate. Yours. Just hear me out just this once."

As much as she still didn't believe Phoebe for a second, being accustomed to her frequent states of insanity, she had no choice but to try her very best to agree with her philosophy. What if she was right? Only the future knew it this time. Maybe, since it came from her sister, she would have to let it settle down for the time being.

"Well, I guess we'll never know until it actually happens," she responded nonchalantly as the whirring engines of the bus screeched to a halt right before them.

"Trust me, sister dear, you'll know when you know," Phoebe called out to her as the bus's exhaust released its screeching sigh, the doors opening in the process.

As the two sisters, along with the dozens of passengers stepped into the bus, they immediately pulled out their bus fares from their pockets and inserted them into the coin slots accordingly, then finding their way to the first two front seats of the bus. Of course, being as polite as possible, Kate acknowledged the bus driver's presence just like any other passenger would do unlike Phoebe who took her greeting to another level with a bow and a "namaste," not only to the driver, but to all the other passengers who came by. Even as both sisters took their seats, waiting for everyone to enter, Phoebe continuously bowed and remarked her signature salutation to every group. Kate, on the other hand, who took the window seat, simply gazed out the window, an embarrassed smirk upon her face, wishing she could say that she had no idea who this strange young woman next to her was, although in reality, she couldn't make it known because Phoebe was still her sister. Nevertheless, she also did her very best not to make it known that Phoebe was her sister, even trying to ignore the awkward situation she was getting herself into. She hoped to herself, however, that whoever passed by her simply saw Phoebe as a friendly face in the crowd who was nothing short of enthusiastic and found the joy in greeting passers by and strangers. However, this wasn't entirely the case. She didn't seem to greet them as if they were entering a bus; she was greeting them as if they were leaving a yoga class. Kate could only wonder, would her sister ever learn? By the looks of it, the answer was crystal clear. No, she wouldn't.

Just as the doors of the bus closed and once the driver took off, knowing that this ride would take at least fifteen to twenty minutes depending on the traffic, Kate decided to take it easy and keep her eyes fixed upon the city's skyline as the raindrops and mist hazed her view while Phoebe busied herself with her own style of vocal choral warm-ups, much to the disturbance of the passengers next to her and behind her. As a matter of fact, these were no ordinary vocal warm-ups; she was preparing herself to sing an excerpt from "The Tibetan Mountain Throat Singing Trio," which she often brought up _and_ sang in the midst of conflict, much to Kate's annoyance.

With that, Phoebe shut her eyes and sang the excerpt to herself, beginning softly, unaware of the passengers that were listening to her with expressions of confusion and disturbance evident on their faces every time she got louder to the point that her throat singing reached the eardrums of the bus driver, causing her to cringe at the sudden din and taking Kate by surprise, although she honestly wasn't surprised, still trying her best to ignore Phoebe's "singing." Kate was indeed aware of, having prior experience taking transit, that she was bound to bump into people with strange behaviors or perhaps, in lack of a better word, _strange_ people. At this moment, she thought to herself that she wasn't just surrounded by strange people on board; she was related to one. Because she knew that Phoebe wouldn't be stopping her throat singing anytime soon, instead of stopping her, she cupped her fists upon her ears just like the rest of the passengers and had her eyes shut tight, shaking her head out of frustration.

On the other hand, some passengers also tried their best to ignore Phoebe's throat singing with the knowledge that she was completely unaware of her surroundings, but the bus driver couldn't take it anymore. No matter how hard he tried to brush off the sound of her voice, he found himself cringing at every screeched or high-pitched note or baritone groan he heard her release. At this point, he _had_ it.

"Hey you," the elderly driver grunted as he turned his head to Phoebe as the stoplight went red, to no avail, failing to catch her attention, "Yes, you in the maroon! Will you stop that noise, it's getting in my nerves and I'm driving!"

No matter how loudly he yelled, Phoebe paid no attention to him or any of the other passengers simultaneously complaining as if their voices were merely the sound of howling wind and carried on with her throat singing. Kate, in turn, felt sickened and thoroughly irritated by the screams of the passengers combined and colliding with her sister's singing, cringing and clutching to herself as tightly as possible just so she wouldn't get involved with any part of the disruption. After all, she had nothing to do with it, except for the fact that the one who ignited the flaming sparklers through her song was her sister.

Suddenly, as the voices of complaint continued to grow, from the bus driver in the forefront to nearly every passenger of every row, Phoebe finally snapped out of frustration, immediately stopped singing and abruptly stood up, clinging onto the silver pole next to her for balance.

"Listen everyone! If you have anything against spreading the joy and sharing the beauty of cultural music, you might as well keep quiet and respect _my_ taste of music or learn how to at least _appreciate_ it for what it is, or you don't know what art is _at all!_ Who's with me?!"

the young woman proclaimed with wholehearted conviction as if she were giving a campaign speech promoting revolution, of course, receiving no reply, most especially not from her sister, Kate, whose eyes remained downcast as if she paid no attention; although in reality, she listened to every word her younger sister spoke.

The bus driver, still awaiting the red light to revert to green, turned his eyes agitatedly towards Phoebe, his eyebrows furrowed in frustration towards her, completely ready to have his say.

"Now lady, I don't know if you're aware of this, but _you_ should be the one showing some respect to all these passengers who paid good money to take their ride home in peace and quiet…something I can see that _you_ don't understand," he chided irritably, his teeth grinding through his words and his voice elevating, loud enough for every passenger to hear, "So why don't you _sit down_ and keep your mouth shut on all that tasteless racket that no one in this transit cares to hear about, you hear me?! Say one more word to me and I'll have you kicked out of this vehicle at the next sidewalk! Do you understand me?! 'Cause I honestly think you _don't!"_

Upon hearing the harsh words of the driver, Phoebe remained silent and at a loss for words, her lips slightly parted with a disgusted expression directed towards him as Kate's eyes widened in disgust and shock as well. Now, she didn't know who to scold, Phoebe for the disruption or the elderly and irritable bus driver. Either way, she didn't like any part of this situation; not at all.

Even the rest of the passengers were at a loss for words. It was one thing to have one of the passengers disrupt a bus ride, but it was even worse to have the bus driver himself call her out, only to cause even more of a stir and outright humiliation. A now entirely embarrassed Phoebe, her cheeks flushed and her eyes downcast, slowly backed way from the front of the bus and took her respective seat next to Kate who then gave her a wide-eyed stare of disapproval and a subtle head shake that clearly spoke the words, "look at what you did!" In return, Phoebe mouthed her sister a, "sorry; I had to speak my mind," in turn, receiving a single nod from Kate. With that, these sisters, as well as the rest of the passengers could dismiss this little scenario as a misadventure on transit and perhaps even forget about it along the way.

However, this little misadventure didn't seem to find its epilogue that easily. Right after Phoebe took her seat, another passenger who sat behind her and Kate stood up at the thump of his thick leather boots, grabbing hold of the board of Kate's and Phoebe's seats to support his stance.

"Sir, if I may say so myself, in all due respect, I believe you should keep your own personal opinions to yourself," a man in a faded chocolate-brown felt coat, wearing a gray porkpie hat and black dressed pants who was slightly older than both Phoebe and Kate, addressed the bus driver in a stern yet seemingly relaxed tone of voice as if he hadn't a care in the world, his expression leaving no inch or trace of annoyance, but carried an air of coolness and sarcasm within him, "If I didn't know any better, with the way you talked back to this perfectly decent and passionate lady, I suppose that people just like you have absolutely no respect or appreciation for the arts and culture. I guess that makes _you,_ of all the people in this bus, an expert of artistic discrimination, don't you think?"

The bus driver, who kept his eyes on the road as he was driving, groaned out another pound of frustration and glanced up at the viewing mirror to face the carefree passenger, without having to turn his head. Who was _he,_ a random stranger on the bus to tell him off for simply keeping order on the bus? How _dare_ he talk back to _him:_ a man who is focused on nothing but performing his tasks in a professional manner, according to him, of course. Just as he did with Phoebe, he was going to have to do the same with this man.

"You know what, Sir, you better get your butt back into your seat before I kick you off this bus!"

Still, the stranger was an unshakeable mass of conviction, who didn't care himself if he was humiliated in front of the entire bus, let alone, before the mercy of the bus driver.

"Well, if you say so," the manly passenger scoffed, "If you plan to kick me off this bus, you're gonna have to kick _us both_ off this bus. And when I say _us both,_ I mean, the lady and I."

Phoebe and Kate's eyes widened in utter shock and disgust at an instant at hearing his words. If this stranger knew what was good for him and the rest of the passengers, he wouldn't push on with a problem that was just about to end and reignite the flame once again by putting her on the spot. What made matters worse was that this man was not helping solve the problem at all; he was making a scene and an even bigger fool of himself in front of and among people he has never seen or heard of before.

"What, are you _crazy?!"_ the driver exclaimed ruggedly, "You've got your own place to be and she's got hers. But if you insist, the nearest sidewalk is in this next block and I'd be more than happy to get rid of you two all at once that easy."

"At this point, Sir, I don't care where we are!" the passenger remarked, "Just as long as people who share the same point of view are stuck together, nothing else matters. 'Cause the next time you start talking trash about the arts, you'll be making a bigger fool of yourself than this lady ever was! So you think this woman was foolish? Yes, she surely was, but she'll never be as big a fool as you."

At his final statement, he dismissed his words with a smug grin, straight towards the back of the bus driver's head, in turn, turning towards Phoebe and Kate, who avoided his eye contact. As a result, the bus driver sighed gruffly and continued driving on, slowly turning his head towards the feisty passenger.

"Now look here…" he began, his eyes turning back to the steering wheel and the road, "if you ever think of causing any more trouble around here, don't you _dare_ set your foot on my bus again, you hear?!"

"I've got no problem with that, Sir," the stranger huffed, his arms crossed with a sarcastic yet relaxed smirk planted across his face, sitting down on his respective seat and turning his eyes to a clearly confused Phoebe, who gave him a blank, clueless, gaping expression on her face.

"Now that it's all been taken cared of, Miss, what have you got to say for yourself?"

Phoebe, her expression remaining static, was still at a loss for words, her lips struggling to find its sound.

"I…erm…I…" she murmured, clearly uncomfortable with the stranger's gaze.

"Perhaps thanking me would suffice? In case you haven't noticed, _I_ did all the work around here to help you out," he chuckled with a smile, his disposition coming off as conceited, brash and rather disrespectful, not to Phoebe, who seemed quite naïve, but to Kate, who refused to see her sister supposedly 'put in her place' by some stranger who thought himself as superior to everyone else by the manner that he carried his words and actions since the moment he started speaking to the bus driver. To her, this behavior was most certainly uncalled for.

"So what, hmm? Have you got something to say to me?"

"Well…I…ahh-" Phoebe stammered yet again uncomfortably only to be interrupted by her protective sister, Kate, who immediately shot the passenger behind them a cold and disapproving glare.

"-She most certainly does _not_ have something to say to you, Sir!" Kate reprimanded severely, looking the stranger in the eye, "I believe you owe her an apology!"

"An apology?" he questioned confusedly, "Ma'am, if you must know, I was helping her out."

"Oh no, you were _not,_ " she insisted, still staring him down, "All you were doing was making a complete _fool_ of yourself and on top of that, you not only embarrassed yourself but embarrassed _her_ as well. _You,_ of all people, ought to be ashamed of yourself."

Still, the stranger was not convinced by Kate's frustration. He simply felt what he was doing was right, all for the defense of cultural arts. Perhaps the way he delivered his message struck her as obnoxious and abrasive; perhaps it was _she_ who was missing the point.

"Well, I'm sorry if I made it seem that way to you, Ma'am. This certainly was not my intention," he responded a little more gently and politely this time, lifting the porkpie hat off of his head, revealing a patch of clean-cut yet ruffled brunette hair upon his head, "I sure hope that this apology gets through to you."

No matter how his disposition suddenly seemed to shift, Kate remained skeptical of the man's genuine identity and personality. Maybe he wasn't as abrasive as he first came across. She decided then and there to give this man at least a little bit of a chance, hoping that every second of her decision was worth it.

"Now, just _who_ do you think you are?" Kate questioned the man suspiciously, her eyebrows furrowed as she looked straight into his hazel eyes. With that kind of gaze being received, he knew he would have to reply as soon as possible; otherwise, this woman would keep her suspicions of him until the end of the bus ride. Of course, he didn't want _that_ to happen.

"I'm just an honest, hardworking young-at-heart fellow who's just as passionate and appreciative of the arts as that lady sitting next to you is," he answered with an old-fashioned charisma he attempted to make as charming as possible, "And how about you, Ma'am? Who do _you_ say you are?"

That was _no_ question; Kate already knew what to say.

"In case you haven't noticed, Sir, I'm her sister," she answered confidently with a smirk directed straight towards him with a guilt-tripping gaze, causing him to feel rushes of a combination of embarrassment, shame and full-loaded awkwardness. _Now_ he understood why this woman was particularly behaving so uptight while he gave his convicted and passionate speech.

"Well, I, ah, I hope you'll find it in your heart to forgive me Ma'am," the stranger said within a light chuckle, his cheeks slightly flushed out of embarrassment. Amused by the man's sudden politeness and recently revealed modesty, Kate had no other choice but to do so.

"Maybe I will," she sighed with a smile, turning her eyes to her younger sister, "But I'm not so sure if my sister will."

"Why do you think so?" he shrugged in confusion, simultaneously, with Phoebe choosing not to pay the slightest attention to him.

"Well, I don't think she's interested in making acquaintances with just anyone who addresses her as _foolish,_ " she raised her eyebrows at him once again with that guilt-tripping gaze that always seemed to catch him off-guard. After seeing that a second time, he knew that _that_ look was something he couldn't erase off of his mind, even if he knew this would be the only time he would have a chance to talk to her.

"Oh, come on now, Ma'am, didn't she hear that I didn't mean any of that at all?" he groaned within a chuckle, "I only said that to appease the driver."

"Let me see if she thinks so…" she hummed through her words as she turned to her sister, "Phoebe, what do you think?"

Without any further response, seeing that Phoebe's eyes were shut tight yet relaxed and her legs slightly crossed, she knew exactly what was going on. She wasn't ignoring them; she was completely oblivious to what was happening around her; this entire time, she had been meditating. Kate then turned her eyes back to the stranger and dismissed her response with a shrug.

"No say, huh?"

Kate simply shook her head in response.

"Maybe she will in due time, once she finds out she won't be seeing me again," the man chuckled as he placed the porkpie hat back atop his head, "sometimes, the strangest things often happen on the bus, now don't they?"

"Oh, tell me about it…" Kate nodded in absolute agreement, "I didn't expect Phoebe to suddenly burst into song or to witness you making a scene at all; I just expected to take my ride home."

"So did I," he agreed, in turn, "Every week-night, I take this bus at about this time and I don't usually expect some kind of funny business to occur at any point in time…at least I didn't expect something to happen until today."

Yet again, Kate found herself nodding in agreement. Even more unusually so, she found herself caught in the middle of a pleasant conversation with a complete stranger she started off by reprimanding for his behavior. Things most certainly escalated quickly from here.

"That's true," she agreed once again, all the awkwardness melting away as she grew comfortable talking to the stranger. Even after a few minutes, she felt as if he wasn't that much of a stranger after all. If only she could have the chance to get to know this quirk of a man all the more with the little time she had left aboard the bus.

"Well, now that I know your sister's name after distinctly hearing you mention it, I thought you should know mine," he said with a genuine smile as he outstretched his hand to hers for a shake, "My name is Josh. Josh Morrow. And you are?"

Now Kate could clearly see that this man, Josh Morrow, was obviously trying to make an acquaintance with her, even if it meant this would be the only time they would ever meet. No matter how shortly time was running out, she felt the sudden need and urge to carry on this course of action before it would be too late.

"Kate," she replied, outstretching her hand to his for a handshake, "It's very nice to meet you, Josh Morrow."

"The pleasure is all mine, Kate."

As the two new-found acquaintances shared a smile, the bus's exhaust sounded and the bus suddenly came into a halt, the noise waking Phoebe up, returning her to her alertness as well as signaling to Kate that their stop was right here. It was such a shame that at this very moment, just as she was about to get to know this rather friendly stranger, it was her turn to get off the bus.

"Well, I suppose this is it," she sighed, still keeping the genuine smile on her face, "It's been nice knowing you throughout this very short time, Josh Morrow. Good night."

With that, she shared one last smile with the stranger and along with Phoebe, descended the steps of the bus neither looking nor turning back. Her newfound friend, Josh, in turn, gave her a smile-a rather sad one-as he watched the woman leave the bus, now with the uncertainty whether they would ever cross paths again. As uptight and overprotective as Kate seemed in the beginning when they first shared a conversation, as they continued to converse, he found her to be quite amiable and approachable unlike any stranger he had come across aboard a bus. However, he had to admit, her sister Phoebe was an eccentric one. As he sat quietly in his seat as the bus began to depart the last station, he began thinking about the short-lived friendship he had just made with Kate and perhaps, if they ever met again, if her sister would find it in her heart to forgive him too for his incomprehensibly abrasive behavior. His encounter with these ladies, most especially Kate, was something he knew would last in his mind for a long while. Who knew when he would ever have the chance to see them, or _her,_ again?

Meanwhile, five minutes after he last saw the two sisters, his eyes slowly drooped, downcast on the floor, nearly falling into peaceful slumber when he spotted an opened beige leather wallet sprawled awkwardly with a twenty-dollar bill sticking out on the ground right under the seat before him. He regained his alertness and bent down to pick it up, his eyebrows furrowed in befuddlement and concern, knowing that whoever accidentally dropped this wallet would be awfully, beyond worried sick by the time he or she got home. He then opened the wallet to reveal some sort of I.D. card and without a moment's hesitation, read it in an audible whisper.

"Kate W…1625 West Hawthorne Drive…"

His eyes widened as he read the card. This I.D. _and_ wallet belonged to Kate, the woman he had just recently made an acquaintance with and decided right on the spot that once the bus came to a complete stop, he would immediately find the address listed on the card and return the wallet to her as soon as possible without delay. Although most people would have taken one glance at a wallet and claim it as their own, he had a mindset of integrity attached to him that told him to do the right thing and return this vital piece of property. What motivated him all the more was the fact that bringing the wallet back would mean him meeting with Kate once again. Ever since she set foot off of the bus, he had a sudden longing to get to know her even more. It didn't look like anything would stop him now; not even the constant bantering and rambling of a bus driver would convince him to do otherwise.

Once the bus came to a full stop, he gathered his backpack and clutched his fist tightly on the wallet and without stopping to thank the bus driver, bolted out of the bus the first thing and made a mad dash up the hill, hoping that he would successfully locate the address on the I.D. and even more so, develop an acquaintance that would hopefully grow into a friendship with the wallet's owner, even if she was the one who first called him a fool.

 ** _Author's Note:_** ** _Here it is…a completed chapter two. I hope you enjoyed reading this one as much as I enjoyed writing it. Yes, it was a pretty long chapter, I know, but this happens to be where the story actually begins. So, there you have it. Also, you got to meet the OC of this story, Josh Morrow and hopefully you liked him too. I have to admit, although he came off as a little bit of a fool, he really did have some pure intentions and he really is quite friendly. Since he's a new guy, I'd like to hear some suggestions from you for his character development or what you'd like to see from him, just because he will appear in this story a lot, and I mean, A LOT. After all, he IS Kate's OC and they'll be developing some feelings for each other over the course of the story. I'll bet you can guess who will have these feelings first. In case you were wondering, he will, at some point, develop his relationships with the rest of The Next Step dancers, but as always, not everyone will take him as he is. I wonder who will be the last to trust him…_**

 ** _Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this loooong chapter and please don't forget to leave me a review. I'd really appreciate it very much._**

 ** _Thank you all so much for your support for this story! 'Til the next update…_**

 ** _Cheers!_**

 ** _~ASianSuccessor2012_**

 ** _P.S. In case you were wondering about the address, I came up with it myself._**


	3. Where is it?

_**Author's Note: Hello everyone! I'm back with the third chapter of "Just Another Face in the Crowd" right here for you. First off, I truly hope you're enjoying this story so far (even if for the meantime, it's centering on very few characters right now). Secondly, to all you people who read, reviewed, followed and favorited altogether, or just one of those at least, I'd like to thank you most especially for you support for this story. It really means a whole lot to me. Now, back to this chapter, this won't be a very long one. In fact, I do consider it a little bit of a filler so expect chapter four to come really soon, although, I must admit, this chapter will have some feels and fluff, especially shared between the sisters. To be completely honest, I haven't seen a lot of that in the show lately, so I maybe thought they could have a Riley and Emily-like sister dynamic. In other words...be prepared! Before I end this A/N, I hope you're learning to like Josh as much as I do (and as much as I hope Kate will too).**_

 _ **Without further ado, here's chapter 3!**_

 _ **~ASianSuccessor2012**_

 _ **P.S. I own nobody but Josh Morrow.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Where is it?**

Fifteen minutes after the sisters got off the bus, Kate and Phoebe found themselves at 1625 West Hawthorne Drive, a tall, two-story house with a light maroon-bricked exterior and a beige-whitewashed door with a semi-circled window on top, which happened to be Kate's house; fifteen minutes after they arrived to Kate's residence, the sisters had their pre-prepared dinner of a whole chicken pot pie and cornbread in the dining room and both of them were unusually in quite an awkward state, neither of them saying a word to each other. In fact, ever since they departed the bus stop until they began eating their late dinner, it was Kate who hasn't spoken a word to Phoebe for these thirty minutes straight. It was a half hour filled with silence, tranquility, and an unprecedented awkwardness.

As Kate took the last bite on her plate of her piece of the pot pie, her eyes remaining transfixed on her plate, barely raising her eyebrows nor acknowledging her sister's presence, a blank expression etched on her face, neither looking pleased nor focused. Phoebe, who couldn't help but sneak glances towards her older sister, grew entirely curious as to why they haven't been speaking for a full thirty minutes, let alone, not paying any attention to one another for the time being. If it was ultimately up to her, she would let her sister be and meditate to herself the way she always did, but she instead decided that it was time to break the silence. She knew very well that after a long day's work that Kate would normally be as tranquil as she was, but not nearly as ignorant as she seemed to be at the moment.

"Alright Kate, spill the beans," Phoebe said rather loudly, slightly startling Kate although not completely catching her attention, "What's bothering you?"

At hearing Phoebe's question, she suddenly raised her eyebrows and turned towards her direction, her expression remaining blank, signifying that she indeed was not ignoring her sister. Perhaps she was simply in a state of prolonged tranquility and needed it that much to drown out the chaos and noise that erupted in the bus, even if it meant hearing Phoebe do her "throat singing."

"Nothing's bothering me, Phoebe, if that's what you're wondering," Kate said nonchalantly as she reached for another slice of pie, avoiding eye contact with her sister, making Phoebe more suspicious of her current behavior.

"Sister, if I didn't know any better, I think you're ignoring me," Phoebe suddenly remarked with a sarcastic tone, startling Kate all the more, her eyes beginning to widen towards her.

Upon hearing this, Kate let off a heavy sigh and turned her eyes towards her sister. She then stood up from her seat and placed her hand on Phoebe's shoulder for reassurance.

"Phoebe, I'm sorry," the eldest of the siblings said sincerely, "I just needed some time to escape all the noise over at the bus."

Still, that didn't seem to convince Phoebe, nor tell her anything.

"Mhmm?" she responded sarcastically with a teasing smirk, "You know, you maybe could have meditated before dinner and better yet, you could have at least talked to me."

As soon as she heard her sister's last statement, it immediately caught her off guard. As much as she hated to admit the isolation she had from her younger sister, now was the time to tell her the truth behind her prolonged silence.

"Phoebe, if I'm going to be completely honest with you, I hope I don't come across as rude or offensive, but maybe the noise in the bus is _not_ the only thing I'm escaping. Perhaps I wouldn't be like this right now if you had enough consideration not to embarrass yourself in front of the entire transit," she spewed out frankly, hoping to herself that Phoebe wasn't completely taken aback by her reprimanding words. Indeed, Phoebe simply reacted calmly, shaking her head and taking the comment lightly. She always seemed to find herself in these somewhat humiliating situations alongside her sister ever since their childhood days and to her, it didn't really matter if the rest of the world, including Kate, saw her differently.

"Kate, do you really believe that I'm _that_ much of an embarrassment to you?" Phoebe chuckled, seemingly unaffected by her sister's words.

Naturally, Kate was rather surprised, yet extremely grateful, that Phoebe didn't seem offended after the way she phrased her blunt honesty. Maybe it was because she had gotten used to her reprimanding by now especially since it has been continuous for a number of years. Either way, she was glad she was able to speak her mind without striking up any kind of tension. After all, she knew that Phoebe was the very definition of inner-peace in their family.

"Oh, you know that's not what I meant at all," the older sibling sighed, taking a seat down once again and letting off a heavy sigh out of stress, looking her younger sister in the eye, "It's just that I don't want to have to see my own sister getting into trouble, that's all."

At hearing her older sister's remark, Phoebe suddenly gave Kate a warm smile, placing her hand on her shoulder in return as a result. She began to think to herself, was she really _that_ concerned enough about her enough to look out for her? That was most definitely a good sign _and_ a good reason for her to be in that behavior, and better yet, being completely honest.

"You know something? I think you worry too much," she said within a laugh, her words really meaning to thank her older sister for making the effort in her time to look out for her whatever the situation.

"I think _care_ is more like it," Kate corrected, this time shedding a small smile as the two shared a few seconds of laughter before her expression reverted to complete seriousness once more, "Just promise me you won't _dare_ get into this mess ever again, understand?"

As serious as Kate suddenly became, Phoebe knew she could _read_ and see right through her expression. Although she meant every word she said, she could sense a hint of sarcasm under all that seriousness.

"Oh, you know me, Kate," she laughed, "You know it'll happen again."

With that, Kate just shook her head amidst a light chuckle. Indeed, she knew her sister all too well as her sister knew her all to well too. After all, that was how they were meant to be as close as they were and have remained over the years. Why else would Phoebe have been Kate's first choice as The Next Step's new Head Choreographer? According to Phoebe, not only was she lucky to have her prestigious title as her sister but as the Head Choreographer as well, the heart and soul of the studio, the one who the dancers depended upon their success. She wouldn't have had her life thus far lived any other way.

Just as soon as the sisters finished up their remaining slices of pie, leaving almost exactly one half left on the dish, Kate suddenly advanced her hands towards her purse as Phoebe brought the empty plates slightly crumbed with the pastry's residue to the kitchen sink to the right of the dining table. Neither of them seemed to be surprised at how quickly they finished up their dinner, especially since this chicken pot pie was as filling to the core as they expected. If they were to pat themselves on the back for preparing that meal, they would most definitely think that this pot pie of its kind was one of the best ones they ever had around. Then again, that was their own personal opinion and preference. This was just one of the few simple things both sisters knew they could one-hundred _and ten_ percent agree on.

"Kate?" Phoebe called out to her sister from the other side of the room as she finished washing the last of the dishes.

"Yes, Phoebe?"

"I really appreciate you letting me stay the night at your place," the younger woman said gratefully, just finishing drying the dishes, "Really, I do."

"Of course," she replied as if her hospitality was a no-brainer, "There's no way you're getting home in _this_ kind of weather. Believe me, _I don't_ want to worry about you too."

"Of course not," Phoebe responded within a chuckle, placing the plates into the cupboard above the sink, still noticing her sister searching through her purse for something she could sense was missing.

"Phoebe, do you mind grabbing the wireless phone for me? I need to call the towing company as soon as possible to repair the damage on my car," Kate requested as she continuously browsed every corner of her purse for that _something_ that she just couldn't seem to find.

"No problem," she said as she picked up the silver wireless phone sitting atop its charger on top of the marble kitchen counter, "Do you have their number?"

"Mhmm," she nodded, her eyes fixated on the contents of her purse, "I always keep the calling card in my wallet just in case. I'll let you know what the number is just as soon as I find it."

As she watched Kate determinedly searching every corner of her purse for the wallet, Phoebe was not completely convinced that it would be inside the bag.

"Soooo, Kate?" Phoebe awkwardly and anxiously drawled, "Where's your wallet?"

Once Kate was sure she fumbled through every last corner of her purse, upon hearing her sister's question, she suddenly snapped as an abrupt rush of anxiety shot straight through her senses, her eyes widening with absolute worry and even fear as she slammed the purse upon the dining table.

"That's _exactly_ what I'm wondering, Phoebe!" she exclaimed, " _Where_ is it?"

"I'm sorry, but how would I know?" Phoebe shrugged hurriedly, "Where was the _last_ place you remember seeing it?"

"Well, I-I don't know," Kate stammered frantically, "But I _do_ remember taking it out as soon as we got on the bus."

"Well...um...did you put it back in your bag?" Phoebe questioned in just as jittery a manner as her sister's. After all, this _was_ a missing wallet they were dealing with at the moment; how would anyone expect them not to raise concern at all?

"Now _that's_ the part I don't recall," her sister replied even more worriedly, her voice shaking, reluctantly preparing herself for the harsh reality she most desperately hoped not to admit, "Y-you don't suppose it's..."

Clearly knowing what her sister meant, Phoebe, her face written with horror and her eyes widened in denial, slowly nodded her head, mouthing an "I'm sorry" to her, hoping that the very situation they were facing wasn't true.

"No...no, no, no..." Kate shook her head briskly in a thoroughly panicked tone, in a manner that was absolutely out of character for the calm and collected woman she always remained to be, both in and out of the studio. Of course, losing money was a nearly normal part of life for most people she knew in the area, and even for her studio's dancers, but when it came to this, nothing could be more devastating than losing a personal belonging, especially if every cent she brought with her, every credit card, calling card or identification was left within it.

"Kate, I'm so sorry..." Phoebe murmured almost inaudibly, slowly placing her hand on her sister's shoulder for assurance and comfort, "You don't suppose it could be in your coat's pocket, do you?"

"No, no, Phoebe," she shook her head once more, still in denial of the loss of her wallet, refusing to allow the reality to sink into her mind, "I remember it wasn't there the last time. You do realize that there _is_ such a thing as stealing, right?"

"Well, the next time we get on that bus, whoever I feel is responsible for that _crime_ is going to answer to-"

 _-DING DONG!_ The traditional ring of the doorbell sounded, therefore interrupting Phoebe's speech and causing both sisters to turn their heads towards the front door.

"Erm...answer the door," Phoebe completed her sentence in a different manner, turning to her sister, "Are you going to get it?"

"Why don't you, Phoebe?" she sighed heavily to herself, "I've had enough to deal with today and I'm tired enough already."

Phoebe then shook her head and rolled her eyes sarcastically at what she deemed Kate's up-tightness and stress combined. She wondered to herself, "Does she really have to make a big deal out of _everything?"_

"Well then, sister, suit yourself," Phoebe sighed airily as she flitted briskly towards the front door, "Because I strongly sense that a miracle will show up right through this door."

As soon as she enthusiastically twisted the doorknob, once the door was open, she was in utter shock to see the very person she _least_ expected to see at Kate's front door...the very stranger who had the strangest ideas of defending the arts and made a stage for himself at the front of the bus they had just ridden...none other than Josh Morrow. At an instant, Phoebe's bright smile transformed into a downcast, jawdropped expression.

"Or not," she murmured more reluctantly as she eyeballed the tall man from top to bottom, noticing the exhaustion in his features and dampness all over his clothing. At this moment, she had no idea whether she should let her sister know that the very man who seemingly purposely deemed her as _foolish_ before everyone else on the bus was right before her, standing at her sister's door.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:**_ _ **So, here's a bit of a cliffhanger for you...Will she let him in? I'm not entirely sure if I consider this a cliffhanger, but you'll definitely find out in the next chapter, which is coming for you, really, really soon. There you have it, readers! A short but sweet chapter in the lives of the two sisters who are the heads of The Next Step.**_

 _ **Please be sure to leave a review at the end or leave me a suggestion or two!**_

 _ **Thanks again for your support for this story and yes, I promise the dancers will be coming for you the chapter after the next as soon as possible.**_

 _ **Cheers!**_

 _ **~ASianSuccessor2012**_


	4. Someone to Talk to

**_Author's Note: Hello readers! See? I promised I'd be back with an update and as I always like to say, I try my best not to break my promises (unless I'm ultimately busy or am facing a bad case of writer's block). Even if I did have it, I'm doing my very best to update every chapter really quickly while the summer's still here before school begins, whatever the situation may be. To all of you who have supported me in this story in any way, be it reading it from the beginning to the last chapter I posted, reviewing whenever you can, favoriting and following, I'd like to express my sincerest thanks to you all TNS fans. Without you, where would this story be?_**

 ** _Anyways, moving on, I'm sure you all know what Josh is here for and even Phoebe and Kate don't know just yet that him showing up at the door was an answered prayer (if they had one right now). Now for the part you find out...just read this chapter and enjoy the rest of the story! Now before I begin, I've got quite a bit of good news...firstly, here in Canada, The Next Step is coming back strong with a continuation of Season 3 (a.k.a. Season 3.5) on September 11. It's gonna be good, I can tell. Secondly, for those of you in the UK, I'm really stoked and happy to hear that Season 3 indeed HAS come your way! Who knows what else is in store..._**

 ** _Now, without further ado, here's Chapter 4 of "Just Another Face in the Crowd."_**

 ** _Cheers!_**

 ** _~ASianSuccessor2012_**

 ** _P.S. Expect this chapter to be a bit of a long one (but not quite as long as Chapter 2 or maybe even longer). I hope you're ready for this!_**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Someone to Talk to**

Within a few seconds of awkwardness and utter shock, Phoebe eyeballed the stranger from top to bottom once more, her jaw dropping in evident discomfort, turning her head towards the dining room where her sister sat, closing her purse. Upon seeing the face of the supposedly strange man at the door, she didn't know whether to usher him in or to leave him outside in the pouring rain and biting cold. It was now ultimately up to Kate to decide this man's fate.

"So..." Kate said as she cleared her throat, "Who is it, Phoebe?"

Phoebe then reluctantly turned her head back towards the apparently cold and exhausted man, who was now leaning against the outer door frame, hesitant to tell her sister who was at the door. What would she say? She would surely recognize him from earlier at the bus, but after what had just happened, she wasn't very sure she would approve of his presence. To begin with, she had absolutely no idea what his intentions were since she started blanking out and meditating, oblivious to the fact that he and Kate had shared a rather decent and pleasant conversation before they took off. Now was her opportunity to find out more about him, no matter how uncomfortable she felt around this stranger.

"It's that man at the bus," she replied plainly.

Kate then raised an eyebrow in confusion, her eyes blankly staring at the surface of the dining table, almost unaware of what her younger sister was saying.

"Which _man at the bus,_ Phoebe? You'll have to be more specific than that."

The younger woman then turned towards her sister's direction, allowing the stranger to be visible to her. 'How could Kate not be paying attention at a time like this?' she wondered to herself, slight frustration clearly etched on her face.

"The _delusional_ one making a stage for himself on transit," Phoebe shook her head in her response, "The _pathetic_ one, really."

Once Kate heard her sister's words, she suddenly raised her eyebrows in surprise and turned swiftly towards the front door. There was only one passenger on the bus she, Phoebe, and everyone else knew, who spoke his mind publicly, not to mention, controversially, who in the end proved to be a decent and unseemly polite gentleman... _Josh Morrow._ She felt she had no choice but to advance to the front door and personally usher him in, especially if Phoebe wouldn't.

"Listen, I know we got off on the wrong foot earlier this evening, but you didn't have to call me out like-"

"-Josh!" the older one of the siblings exclaimed in a rather surprised manner, interrupting him, her jaw dropping to nearly a smile with a hint of concern in her eyes, "What are you doing out there in this time of night?"

"Kate, there you are!" Josh released a heavy sigh of relief and exhaustion, "I _just_ have something to tell you really quickly...only if your sister's willing to let me in."

Kate then turned her eyes to her younger sister, who looked completely suspicious of Josh, clearly unwilling to trust him, believing that his appearance had to do with some ulterior motives even she wouldn't want to know about.

"Be careful, Kate!" Phoebe warned her older sister defensively, blocking the frame of the door, harshly eyeing Josh, staring him down, "Something's telling me that this stranger is up to something...I can see it in his left eye."

'There she goes again,' Kate thought to herself, rolling her eyes at her sister's beliefs, 'When would she ever, _ever_ learn how to deal with things more maturely...let alone, realistically?'

"What's she talking about?" Josh asked in an exhausted manner in between pants, leaning on the right door frame, causing even more concern to rise up in Kate's expression.

"Could you please give us a moment, Phoebe?" she told her sister with a worried tone in her voice, "I promise, we won't be long."

Phoebe, who was still completely unconvinced that she could trust this man, reluctantly turned towards the stairwell to the right of the door and began to ascend the steps, still keeping a sharp eye on Kate and Josh, hoping to herself that absolutely nothing unusual or worrisome would happen that night. After all, she _did_ have the right to worry about her older sister sometimes, even if she knew she didn't have to, at least.

"Alright, sister, I hear you," she murmured as she continued ascending the steps, "But if anything happens around here, don't say I didn't warn you!"

With that, she made her way up the stairs, leaving Kate to mind her own business, let alone dealing with the stranger she hadn't quite as easily warmed up to just yet. All she knew right now is that she didn't want to have to worry about her sister the way her sister normally worried about her. Perhaps, at this moment, her life was facing the other way around.

Now, without having to worry about any interruptions or contradictions from Phoebe, Kate suddenly examined the man at her door intently, noticing him leaning feebly against the door frame for balance, seeing his hat and his coat as well as his hair drenched from the rain and knowing that he was clearly out of breath as if he had been running all the way from the last station to her house, growing even more worried for him and his health all of a sudden. Perhaps Josh had a legitimate reason to show up at her door. To begin with, _how_ did he know exactly where she lived? She could only wonder; but for the meantime, she knew she had to attend to him as soon as possible before his well-being could get any worse.

"Josh, what happened to you?" she exclaimed worriedly, her hands covering partially covering her mouth, "You look like you ran from the last stop all the way here!"

"That's because...I did," Josh panted, barely able to keep his balance while still leaning against the door frame. This worried Kate all the more.

"Oh my goodness...I hope you didn't exhaust yourself too much there," she sighed worriedly as she allowed him to lean on her regardless of the dampness of his coat, supporting his balance in the process, "Come in, please. I don't want you to get all the more soaked than you are now."

"Don't worry about me, Kate, I'm alright," he replied, releasing a heavy sigh as he shut the door behind him and took his hat and coat off, hanging them on the nearby coat-hanger and shaking the remaining droplets of water off of himself. No matter what he said, she still didn't seem convinced enough.

"Well, you would have been alright if you haven't been running around the streets in the pouring rain," she remarked as she shook her head, showing more signs of concern than a reprimanding manner, her mood suddenly shifting to befuddlement, remembering that this was the first and only time that Josh showed up in her front door, "Now how do you know where I live?"

Seeing the sudden confusion and potentially growing suspicion in her eyes, Josh let off a light chuckle and reached in the left pocket of his black-dressed pants for the very thing he knew Kate would be looking for anytime soon, suddenly pulling out what revealed to be her lost leather wallet.

"You see, the identification on this showed me the address where to return this valuable belonging," the man smiled brightly as he handed the wallet back to her, noticing the very expression he expected out of her: a gape that would instantly transform into a smile, and a grateful one at that, "You wouldn't want to leave something as valuable as this under the seat of the bus, now would you?"

Now beaming with utter shock and wholehearted gratitude, Kate couldn't find the words to express her thanks to this honest man, a stranger as he was. Most strangers and passengers aboard a bus, be it anyone she could converse with or simply choose to ignore, could have easily given into temptation and just like that, it would have been in the hands of someone-or anyone-aboard the bus she took. But this wasn't the case; the very stranger she seemed to befriend was honest enough to risk his well-being and the warmth and comfort of his own home indoors to rush to her address and return it as soon as possible when most who would come across it would have taken off and claim it as their own anyway. Indeed, it was very rare to find and even get to know someone with such integrity as Josh had displayed in days like these. Nevertheless, she was nothing short of grateful for his act of kindness and honesty and not to mention, selflessness.

"Oh my..." she gaped in surprise and disbelief, seeing the wallet she had so desperately been trying to find before her being handed to her by a man she barely knew, "...thank you! I've been looking for it _everywhere_ since I got here. How can I thank you enough?"

Josh simply chuckled, feeling a sudden smile creeping up his cheeks, wholeheartedly and sincerely happy seeing her gratitude, but even more so, having one of her most valuable possessions back.

"You don't have to," he smiled, "You've got your wallet back and that's all that really matters to me. That's the only reason I dropped by."

"You mean you went through all this rain _just_ so you could get it back to me?"

"That's right," Josh nodded, the smile ceasing to leave his face.

"Josh, I may not know you very well at all, but you honestly have no idea how much this means to me," she thanked him once again amidst a chuckle, "Thank you so much. There aren't very many who would have the heart enough to do that."

Still beaming with gratitude, Kate then squeezed Josh's hands, causing him to chuckle lightly at her gesture and awkwardly pull away, although seeing her reaction made him feel better all the more, not because _he_ had done the good deed but because _she_ was thankful for it.

"Well, now that I've done what I needed to do, I guess I should be heading back home myself," Josh said as he reached for his coat and hat, still smiling at her, feeling satisfied that he accomplished what he knew he needed to get done; otherwise, if he hadn't done it, he just knew that he would lose sleep over it. As unusual as it is, he was just more than glad that he knew exactly what was the right thing to do, although most people his age, or even younger, would have chosen to get away with it.

Noticing Josh's modesty and seeing that he wanted nothing more than to see her finally relieved, with the wallet back in her possession, which was all he felt was an accomplished mission that night, a still completely grateful Kate knew that she wouldn't feel just as satisfied as he did until she did something to repay him for his integrity. That wasn't just the case...she still didn't stop worrying about him if he were to take off in the mercilessly chilling, pouring rain at this time of night.

"Oh, you're not going anywhere, you're not," Kate rushed in front of the door to block him from passing through with apparent worry uprising in her voice, staring him down with concern and a little bit of authority, "Not in this kind of weather in this kind of night."

Josh then gave her a look of confusion, raising an eyebrow.

"Why not? Clearly, I'm finished here and I really should be going," he clarified as he put on his deeply dampened coat, "Besides, I know we just met and although you'd like me to stay, I really don't believe in rushing-"

"-No, no, no, Josh, it's not that," she interrupted him, feeling a tinge of awkwardness, hoping to herself that her abrupt hospitality wasn't delivering him the wrong message,"Look, I'm not trying to keep you longer for some unreasonable reasons that even _I_ don't want to know; it's just that it doesn't feel right for me to let you go off into the night right away after what you've just done for me. If there's any way for me to repay you, I mean _any_ way at all, I'll do it. Well, I don't know what to do right now, but I just _have_ to do something."

At this moment, her explanation seemed to clear the air at least a little bit for Josh. Surely, he got the idea that she was happy to have her valuable possession back in her hands; he just didn't expect her to be _too_ happy to let him stay a bit longer. With that in mind, he let off an amused chuckle, his hands shoved against his thick coat pockets.

"Like I said, you don't have to give me anything," he said amidst his chuckle, "Besides, I'll have to go and grab a bite."

"You mean you _haven't_ had a bite since the bus ride..." Kate questioned him quizzically.

"Nope! That's why I really must be heading off right now," Josh whizzed through his words as he quickly buttoned up his felt coat, grabbed his hat and advanced towards the door, yet failing to slide past Kate who was visibly blocking the doorway as if she were a goalie in defense.

"Now, why can't you just settle down and have dinner right here?" she persuaded him with a wry smile yet with a forced effort to keep him from escaping, "Phoebe and I barely finished what we had left on the table, and believe me, they're still just as fresh."

No matter how much she accentuated her persuasion to veer his mind away from leaving her residence, it simply wasn't enough to simmer down his rushed attitude. It didn't seem like anything, nor any homemade fresh dinner, would change his mind anytime soon.

"Well, Kate, thanks but no thanks. You know, there's a one-stop shop by my place where I could easily grab a bite," he spoke speedily as his arm attempted to swing by towards the doorknob only to be dodged by the house's determined owner, who clearly seemed like she would stop at nothing to prevent him from leaving.

"Josh, listen, are you really in that much of a rush?" she suddenly stared him down authoritatively with her question with a tone of annoyance in her voice, finally causing him to stop in his tracks and pay attention.

"Don't think you can survive out there in the harsh, cold, rainy weather, because it doesn't look like it'll be leaving anytime soon. Besides, Josh, letting you stay in for a little while is the least I could do after what you've just done for me," Kate's expression suddenly softened into a smile as she placed her hand on his shoulder.

Josh was at first surprised by her sudden contact, but suddenly felt a tinge of warmth and hints of shyness in his expression, shedding a rather awkwardly positioned smile, knowing how much seemed to care about him, especially since he was insistent on risking his health to rush home in the heavy rain once more. Luckily enough, _that_ persuaded him quite well. Perhaps she could have led and phrased her words as gently as she did at that moment. At least for now, that was exactly what she did.

"I...uh...you see...uh..." he mumbled coyly and awkwardly, apparently at a loss for words, causing her to give off a light laugh out of amusement as she took it upon herself to hang his dampened felt coat for him once more.

"By letting you stay, of course I don't mean all night," she said within a laugh, although stating and accentuating her point perfectly clear, "Maybe it would just be better if you stayed until the weather calms down for at least a little while to warm you up a bit."

"Ma'am, you got yourself a deal," the man spoke charmingly as he lifted the hat off of his head and hung it into the coat-hanger, briefly letting off another heavy sigh of relief. Now was definitely his opportunity to gather up the warmth of this house all to himself-of course-having a fair share of it for its owner.

In just a matter of seconds, the pair found themselves at the dining table and the kitchen, Josh taking a seat in a relaxed manner, keeping his hands together and Kate pushing the remaining half of the chicken pot pie into the oven, setting its timer for another five minutes to regain its freshness. All at once, it seemed that the awkwardness between the two faded away in an instant at this very moment. Not only did Josh sense the warmth creeping back into him from he nearby fireplace in the living room; he may have never been inside this house before, let alone a stranger's home, but as unusual as it was, he seemed to make himself at home and adjust really quite easily. As for Kate, she remained silent once again in yet another ponderous mood. As she pulled out a small clean plate from the cupboard, she began to think to herself, although these particular thoughts entered her mind all too soon, how lucky she was to have met him. Of course, there was no denying that the two at first have gotten off the wrong foot with Phoebe in the middle as their subject of debate, but the very thought of his genuine action of kindness just now when most would have disregarded it kept coming back into her mind. Clearly, she would never see Josh Morrow the same way again. Though sharing the same name, she still couldn't believe that the supposedly loud and outspoken man she met on transit was the very same man who was honest and modest enough to risk his health in exchange for his integrity. Their acquaintance was only the beginning of a possibly long-lasting friendship; she was only hoping that her sister Phoebe wouldn't be standing in the way and thankfully, she didn't plan to tell a soul in the studio about her recent encounter.

In the midst of her pondering, the long and loud _beep_ sounded, signalling her to remove it from the oven and place it on the counter to cool it down. The strong scent of warm steam, the tasty mixture of varied vegetables, cooked chicken and a freshly baked crisp crust reached the house guest's nostrils, suddenly causing him to crack a smile and stand from his seat, peeking into the oven as well as watching his hostess gently pull it out, laying it on the counter. He simply couldn't resist how scrumptious the pie scented, even if there was only half of it left.

"Let me guess...chicken pot pie?" he stared at the freshly heated pie with a knowing smile, receiving a nod in response from Kate, "And I'm guessing it's your own recipe?"

"Oh no, _no,_ definitely not," she chuckled modestly as she pulled out a French knife to slice off a piece, "This is actually my mother's recipe. Of course, the way I baked it is not nearly as excellent as hers."

"How sure are you?" he teased as he shook his head in disbelief, "This doesn't even seem like a left-over to me."

"Maybe _you_ should give it a try before judging it based on its appearance," Kate reminded him gently in less of a serious mood, expressing more amusement in his antics, "You know, it's the taste that matters all the more."

She then handed him the plate with a fork on the side as he eagerly and slowly lifted a steaming piece of pot pie into his lips as he slowly began to chew quietly, his eyes widening as a reaction to the stinging and piercing heat but at an instant, settling down as he felt the creamy and tasty filling of the pie, the tenderness of the chicken and mixed vegetables across his tongue with his expression altering to a more pleasantly surprised one, his lips suddenly cracking a smile. Kate then watched him taste the pie amusedly, cracking a smile and a hint of a light laugh as well. Never has she seen anyone react in this sort of manner to tasting a classic-made chicken pot pie. The way she saw it, it looked as if it was the first time he tried this kind of pie.

"What do you think?" she asked him, although she most definitely knew what he thought based on his expression.

Josh then turned to Kate with a mischievous and teasing grin on his face, feebly raising his fork pointing towards her in a friendly 'I-told-you-so' manner. To him, this pie was far better than the given description.

"Not nearly as excellent, huh?" he teased with a mischievous look in his eyes, "You're way too modest."

Upon hearing this, Kate couldn't help but crack a laughter in amusement of her house guest. 'He just can't find a place and time to be serious, now could he?' she thought to herself once again, knowing that this antic of his made her fond of him all the more.

"Oh, am I now?" she attempted a comeback, "Well, I didn't say it was bad."

"You didn't," he said within a chuckle, "I do recall you saying it's _not nearly as excellent._ "

"Exactly," Kate responded with a nod.

"It's so much better than that," Josh topped her comeback slyly with a goofy grin, ending with another finger towards her that screamed, 'I told you so.'

"Oh really, you think so?" she scoffed sarcastically although admittedly, she was entirely flattered by his patronizing compliment, "You haven't even _tried_ the original recipe before, you know; you _can't_ possibly compare them."

Josh could sense that Kate wanted nothing more than to hear a positive review out of him for the pie, knowing very well that all she had been throughout the entire time was modest about her hidden talent. He suddenly thought to himself that _this,_ indeed, was the very reason she asked him to stay longer: to have a taste of that delicacy she knew he wouldn't have been able to resist.

"You know something? I've tried a couple of these pot pies from various pastry companies and restaurants around the region and around the country and if I say that your mother's recipe beat those odds, then I meant it," he clarified confidently in between a few stolen laughs, in turn, causing his hostess to give off another amused laugh once again before noticing him take another brisk bite off of the pie.

"In all seriousness though, Josh," Kate simmered down, looking at him intently yet keeping her amused grin, "Did you mean what you said about the pie?"

Now was the time for the house guest to come clean. Indeed, it seemed like merely a jest and a fit of teasing, mild laughter and sarcasm between friends thrown around, but in all sincerity, he truly did enjoy her rendition of a chicken pot pie. In his opinion, there was simply nothing like it. He was then thankful for her hospitality and her rather forceful yet gentle persuasion and persistence in letting him dry off and stick around to the point that it wasn't just the impromptu dinner she had ready for him that he had grown fond of; he too had grown fond of the hostess herself.

"Yeah...of course I did," Josh nodded coyly, a smile creeping up from his lips, "Now why do you think I wouldn't be serious about a delicious little thing like that?"

"Let's face it Josh; it's because you're _never_ serious," Kate informed him blankly with a smirk, though with an air of total sarcasm. Josh, in turn, was slightly taken aback by her comment. His first impression towards her on the bus _did_ reflect her very words, but who was she, a woman he had never met before, to tell him off like that, even if she meant no harm? There were obviously things and aspects about him that she didn't know, mainly because she had barely gotten to know him as of this moment.

"Now, what makes you say that?" he gently retorted, the smile suddenly disappearing from his face transforming into curiosity, slightly offended by her assumption.

Noticing his abrupt change of expression to a rather unpleasant one, her expression suddenly softened into one of concern and mild guilt. First and foremost, she had to remember that the man she had been conversing with was still a stranger, someone she had known for less than an hour. It seemed she had forgotten that important detail, although now, she realized that she had unintentionally offended him with her jest.

"Josh, I'm sorry; look, you know that I didn't mean anything," she apologized sincerely, looking her new-found friend in the eye, receiving a gradual yet genuine smile in return, "Well, I guess I must have forgotten that I didn't know you for very long."

"Nah, it's all good. Don't even worry about it," Josh suddenly chirped, regaining his smile at an instant as he brought his plate of pie with him to the dining table, "I've been getting that a lot lately from where I work."

Thankful that Josh had easily forgiven her slip of the tongue, she couldn't help but note a familiar phrase in his statement. _'Don't even worry about it...'_ That particular catchphrase seemed vaguely familiar to her. Perhaps it was a notable quote from one of her dancers at The Next Step. If only she could remember who it was... For now, she was more focused and bent on getting to know the fine stranger she had as her house guest.

"Well, no offense, Josh, but I'm not that surprised," she smirked jokingly, hoping that this time it wouldn't offend Josh in any way, "Now, where did you say you worked?"

Upon hearing Kate's question, Josh instantly grew reluctant to reveal his place of work, not because he was ashamed of it, but simply because he was very sure she wouldn't believe him this time. Or maybe she would... Only he could wonder right now. Either way, he knew very well that it would be entirely rude of him to leave her hanging, so right then and there, he decided to muster up the courage to reveal his occupation to her, regardless of her own personal judgement. Sooner or later, he knew that he would have to ask her the very same question at some point. If she _really_ wanted to know, he just knew that he wouldn't leave her house without asking her all the same, which was, in a way, getting even. He then took a moment to sigh heavily to release the tension of his nerves and turned to her, trying his absolute best to compose himself with a confident façade.

"Have you ever heard of this local theatre company called _Staged at the Centre_ before?" he questioned her with an air of his own staged confidence to enhance his presentation, at the same time, cautious as not to show off. After all, on the contrary, he was trying his very best _not_ to in the first place.

"Of course!" she chimed in knowingly, "The studio and theatre isn't too far a drive from here and I've seen _and_ I've heard that they've done some amazing productions. Every year, their performances never fail to impress me. Don't you agree?"

The house guest simply nodded, now eager to tell her more about his occupation upon hearing her compliment.

"Why shouldn't I?" he agreed wholeheartedly, "Everyone in the company works their tail-feathers off just to bring out the best in everything, you have to admit that."

"So, what _exactly_ do you do in the company?" Kate asked him specifically, looking him in the eye. With a question like that, there was no turning back; Josh Morrow would have to come clean.

"I'm actually one of their full-time actors," he found himself proclaiming proudly as if he were promoting himself in a job interview, "Have been for the past three years now."

Surprisingly to Josh, he was not met by Kate with a jeer or a fit of incredulous laughter but rather eyes widened in surprise and realization, a grin forming in her lips as she looked intently at him, seemingly impressed with his choice of career.

"Well, _that_ explains your passion for the arts," she snapped pleasantly, suddenly remembering his stunt on transit, speaking publicly about the respect for cultural arts. Based on what she had seen, she could already tell that he was most certainly proud of his job and definitely not ashamed to show it in any time of day or in any environment, unusual as it could be, "I should have realized it in the first place."

"I don't blame you if you didn't," Josh muttered modestly, a light blush appearing on either side of his cheeks, now reverting to a more serious expression, "Although most say I'm as insane and nuttier than most, you could say that I'm just as passionate about what I do, just because it's something I know I'll enjoy for the rest of my life. I might as well make the best of it, even in the most unusual of circumstances. I know, not most people see it that way, but I do."

"Mhmm. I see that now," Kate nodded in agreement, at the same time, willing to share her piece of her own life story that was somewhat related to Josh's statement, "You know, you're not the only one in the world who had to go through this. Most people who are passionate about their works of art are deemed ridiculous to the public. It's funny how most think they know exactly what the best way is to go through life by shoving their peers right under the bus for following their dream towards something creative or artistic, thinking that it will get them nowhere in life. Whether it's jealousy or a so-called 'battle of the practical,' it won't really matter, because they're in for a surprise when a beautiful result comes out of it. Isn't that right?"

"Yes, you are, Kate," Josh pointed out, surprised that she completely understood the very thoughts in his mind, "As a matter of fact, it's like you've been reading my mind this whole time. If I didn't know any better myself, I think _you_ yourself are just as passionate as I am in the arts."

Kate's eyes suddenly widened yet again. All at once, it seemed like the entire situation turned the other way around before their eyes. In conclusion, the hostess and her house guest had come to an ultimate understanding.

"Josh, now it looks like you've _just_ read mine," she responded, smiling brightly, her mood now shifting to a reminiscent one as she turned her eyes away from his for a moment, "In fact, I never would have been if it weren't for my mother."

Josh could now notice a sentimental glisten in Kate's eyes at mentioning her mother. He then began to ponder to himself if her mother had indeed impacted her life through the love of the arts. At that very thought, he knew he was very close to finding out about her occupation this time round. There was most definitely no doubt in his mind that it also had to do with the arts with the way she presented her words just now.

"Yes? What about her?" he asked her gently yet sympathetically, still noticing the sentiment in her eyes, trying his hardest not to give an impression of insensitivity.

"Well, when I was a little girl, I always saw my mother dancing alone in the living room when she thought everyone was asleep, especially _me_ , and she's been doing it, well...every night since the first time I saw it. And ever since that day, I knew that she was passionate about it, long before I even knew what passion meant," Kate went on to tell her attentive house guest of this memorable moment of her past, reminiscing fondly upon it as if she were picturing it at this very moment, "A few years passed, she joined a dance studio and soon, went on to be a professional dancer touring across the country. Our family would travel many miles away just to cheer her on and just seeing her dance up there...oh my goodness...how unreal but even more so, how _wonderful_ was that?

"It wasn't long before she left her dance company and decided to start up a dance studio of her own. I remember a number of people who told her to give it up and let it go to waste because they thought that it would be too much for her to handle and _dare I say,_ because they didn't believe in her enough to find the best of the best talents in the community to go up against other prestigious studios. I knew it was very difficult for my mother not to let all that negativity get to her but before she knew it, in no time flat...she proved them wrong. As the years passed, she found some of the _best_ of the best dancers around the region and inspired so many to live their dream of expressing themselves through dance and every time, she seemed to touch the lives of every single one of them and in a way, made their dreams come true right before them," Kate continued narrating, rambling on like a flowing river like there was no tomorrow, hoping that Josh would still be willing to listen,

"And because I saw her make it happen, she also inspired me in more than many ways possible that I too became a dancer at her studio for a while when I was much younger. Once again, time passed faster than we thought it would and soon enough, the time came for her to quit the studio and retire. It was an end of an era for a lot of us dancers who she had under her wing, but to her, it looked like a new beginning and much to my surprise, she passed on the torch to me to become the studio owner. Since then, I promised to follow her footsteps to hopefully inspire people the way she did to live their dream and do what they loved most and to this day, I still hope that I'm living up to her vision the way she always had intended, which was, to bring out the best in those who do what they loved to do and to make something truly beautiful out of it. Right now, I feel that my group of dancers this year have been through a lot... dance competitions, regionals, nationals...and with everything they've accomplished, it's safe to say that I'm proud of them. I just hope that I've done my mother proud too."

With that, she ended her speech with her eyes glistening and her voice slightly cracking out of sentiment as she spoke, a look in Josh's eye of pure warmth and sudden pride. He knew he was right in the first place; he _knew_ that she was just as passionate as he was about the performing arts...or maybe even more than he expected. In fact, it seemed that she confided in him her entire life story with her passion as the subject. He too could feel a sudden dampness in his eye, causing it to glisten, simply because he was indeed touched by the message Kate's speech brought to him with her passion deriving from her mother's inspiration.

"Well," she cleared her throat, brushing off her visible sentiment by mustering up a smile, "I hope you didn't mind all of my venting. Did I go on for too long?"

Josh shook his head, still retaining a genuine, warm smile across his face directed towards her.

"Not at all. That was honestly quite nice hearing about it, actually. I don't mind the length at all."

"Maybe it's just because you're a stranger and I feel the need to confide in someone I've barely gotten to know who I know won't tell a soul about this who I can trust," she rambled on awkwardly once more as her eyes shifted in a fidgety manner which was quite unusual for her to do even in these circumstances.

"Well, because you told me all of this, I don't consider myself that much of a stranger to you anymore," Josh chuckled, trying to keep his eye contact with her, "Most importantly, I don't consider _you_ that much of a stranger to me as well."

As a result, Kate gave him a comforting and genuine smile, encouraged by the words he spoke which were just as genuine as her awfully awkward explanation just now.

"That's very nice to hear that from you, Josh."

After a few seconds of the pair sharing a smile, Josh felt the need to push their conversation forward, this time, straying away from the sentiment that seemed to last longer than they both thought it would, picking up where they left off when either of them were eager to get to know each other all the more with the time they had left.

"Now, where were we?" he chirped pleasantly, successfully attempting to lighten up the mood, seeing that Kate was back to her upright self again, "You mentioned that your dance studio participated in the _Absolute Dance Competition_ , am I right?"

"Yes, you're absolutely right," Kate nodded proudly, noting the enthusiasm in his disposition.

"If you don't mind me asking, Kate, which dance studio in the region did your mother found?"

Now was Kate's turn to give him her revelation and as he could tell by the way she was beaming with pride; there was no denying that she was most definitely eager to tell him, regardless of what she was thinking he would say, be it in surprise or disbelief.

"Have you ever heard of The Next Step, by any chance?" she presented her question in the same manner of Josh did earlier with a knowingly confident kind of air.

All of a sudden, at hearing her mention The Next Step, Josh abruptly dropped his arms at his side, a shot of shock rushing through him like a lightning bolt swiftly and electrically encasing a tree with his jaw dropped and his eyebrows raised and widened as he turned to his hostess at a total loss for words. He continued to stare at her direction in surprise, disbelief but an unexpected wonderment in his gaze, realizing all of a sudden _who_ he was conversing with all along and _what_ she had always been affiliated with. The owner of _the_ very company of the dance studio who were crowned the champions of the Absolute Dance Regionals, Nationals and even made it as far as _Internationals_ had _just_ invited him to stay for dinner. What an unexpected yet undeniably _pleasant_ surprise this had been and just being able to spend time with such an _ambassador of the arts_ as he was made the seemingly cold and merciless weather of the evening outside even more special inside.

" _No way_!" the thoroughly starstruck house guest exclaimed enthusiastically, initially causing Kate to jump at his reaction, his palms pressed against the dining table, "The Next Step as in _The_ Next Step _..."_

"That's right," she found herself laughing within her speech, amused at his sudden outburst of utmost enthusiasm, "I honestly didn't think _for a second_ that you'd be _this_ surprised."

"Oh come on now; are you kidding me?! Claiming the championship titles at regionals, nationals, _and_ getting as far as internationals...let me tell you, that is _unreal_ ," Josh continuously raved and praised what he thought was her sole achievement with a proud and beaming grin across his face, "I mean...you should be very, _very_ proud of yourself and what you've done after all these years."

Although Kate was undeniably flattered by Josh's constant showers of praise and compliments sent her way, she knew better than to take the credit all to herself. After all, what would her dance studio be without the dancers who persevered and sacrificed hours, days, weeks and months of their time to make this vision and dream into a well-deserved reality?

"No, Josh; it isn't myself I should be proud of," she raised her hand before her humbly as her thoughts returned to the bygone days of the A-Troupe's in competition against all odds and topping the rest of their rivals off all the same yet leaving Josh with a confused expression, wondering why she refused to give herself such credit he knew that she very well deserved, "It's my dancers I should be proud of."

Josh all at once felt a sense of relief come over him upon hearing the latter part of Kate's statement. He finally understood that she wasn't modest only because she refused to receive recognition to call their own; her modesty derived from the wholehearted support and pride she had for the dancers who gave their all and indeed _,_ _made_ their success happen.

"I mean, they worked so hard to get to this point and just looking at them now and seeing how far they've come says a lot about how _passionate_ and how _dedicated_ they truly are, simply because they _love_ what they do," she concluded with a sigh of relief and happiness at the same time, still beaming with a radiating pride and joy for the dancers she supported, guided and wholeheartedly believed in, whether they stayed or whether they decided to leave and take what they learned to create a whole new pathway of opportunities of their own yet to be discovered.

Just hearing this seemed to inspire Josh deeply beyond comprehension and the imaginable. At first, when he first met Kate in the bus, besides getting off on the wrong foot due to his rather _ridiculous_ first impression, he thought that he merely bumped into an uptight and easily frustrated stranger who seemed to want to have absolutely nothing to do with him. At this moment, his perspective shifted completely to a 180 turnaround. After spending these minutes getting to know her, all for a wallet that she accidentally dropped and left behind with only returning it to her promptly as his sole purpose of showing up at her doorstep, as they continued to converse, he realized all of a sudden that she didn't seem to be that much of a stranger to him any longer. It wasn't just her passion for the arts that caught him off guard nor finding out that she was the studio owner of the now renowned The Next Step; her openness to sharing a piece of her mind to someone she barely knew, the understanding they both seemed to share and most especially her overall personality, including her hospitality and even her outbursts of concern and worry, made him fonder of her than he realized he would be.

He couldn't find the words for everything he felt at that one moment, but all he knew at the time was that he was glad that her wallet dropped. In fact, he was _thankful_ that her wallet dropped. If it weren't for the missing wallet, he most likely would have never gotten a chance to see her again, let alone, develop a friendship that was just beginning. Perhaps the drop of the wallet was meant to be; perhaps the two were destined to meet again. Deep inside, Josh knew at some point that both he and Kate would cross paths again; he just didn't quite expect them to be meeting again _this_ soon.

"I'm glad to hear you say that about your dancers, Kate," he smiled warmly, "You know, if you don't mind, I'd really like to drop by the studio sometime soon to meet your dancers."

Upon hearing this, coming from someone who most definitely seemed to know his way around show business, she was more than glad to introduce him to them.

"I think they would like it very much," she nodded in response, standing from her seat to grab a glass of water for her house guest, then turning to him once more with a look of curiosity, "Now, if you don't mind me asking, how did you hear about all of this? Were you watching the news or reading the local paper that time?"

Once he heard her assumptions, he snickered silently to himself, knowing very well that she would be entirely shocked with his response. He didn't _just_ hear about it on the news or read about it on the newspapers. In fact, he saw _much more_ than that.

"Kate, if you haven't noticed, although I know that news spreads around really quickly in this community, I wasn't _just_ standing on the sideline hearing about it like everyone else," he paused for a moment before making his big revelation, "I was there."

When hearing his words of his last statement, she shot him an expression of surprise with yet another set of widened eyes. So he _was_ there watching the Absolute Dance Regionals, Nationals _and_ Internationals all along. At least that's what she thought at this moment; otherwise, he would have travelled around North America or even to the U.S.A.. On the other hand, he most likely did. Although she knew that the man she once called a stranger was an enthusiast, she didn't realize that he was _that much_ of an enthusiast. She had yet a lot more to learn about Josh Morrow and his passion and she was more than thankful that for sure, this wouldn't be the last she would be hearing of him.

"So, would you like me to tell you more about it?" the house guest asked in a chirp as he took the glass of water Kate handed to him as she made her way to the dining table to have a seat right across him, unexpectedly releasing an abrupt sneeze, causing her to chuckle in amusement. It looked like the effects of the harshly blistering weather of the falling rain was kicking into him.

"Yes," she nodded in agreement with a genuine and bright smile, "Yes, I really would."

Right then and there, the hostess and her house guest didn't seem to care if this long, damp and stormy night would last much longer. All that mattered to the pair was that the more they conversed, the more they were beginning to starts the engines of the journey of their acquaintance turned friendship and more importantly, that each of them had someone to talk to, therefore bringing the warmth in from a cold, merciless, stormy evening.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:** **Phew! FINALLY, I got this chapter done. I never thought I'd get this done on time with its length. Somehow, I had a funny feeling it would go on for much longer than Chapter 2, but either way, I still hope you enjoyed it. Based on what's been going on, this is just the beginning for these two in their friendship and so far, it's only those two who might possibly have a thing going on between them. If only Phoebe and the dancers knew what was going on...what would they say, but more importantly, what would they DO?**_

 _ **Wait a second...did I just mention the TNS dancers? Well, here's another piece of good news for you readers, because the TNS dancers WILL be showing up in the next chapter. The wait is finally over for their appearance! The only thing is, I'll really need your help on this, because it will probably be a challenge for me adding all of them into one chapter. I'd like to ask you, first and foremost, which dancers would you like to see, not only in the next chapter but throughout the entire story? Note that the A-Troupe dancers in this story are picking up right where Season 3 left off in Canada, hence my insufficiency for providing info on Internationals. But either way, WHO would you like to SEE for the rest of the story? It's up to you. Just let me know through a REVIEW or PM and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Also, you'll get to see some of the previous characters and dancers who already left TNS...so all I can say for now, is stay tuned, please remember to leave me a review and I hope you're enjoying the story.**_

 _ **Cheers!**_

 _ **~ASianSuccessor2012**_


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